Product description

Big Fish [VHS] [2004]

Price: £2.94
RRP: £5.99
Average customer rating: 4.5

Binding : VHS Tape
EAN : 5023940493386
Label : Uca
Manufacturer : Uca
Publisher : Uca
Release date : 2004-09-13
Title : Big Fish [VHS] [2004]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Parental Guidance
Format : PAL
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 2004-01-30
Running time : 120
Studio : Uca
Theatrical releaseDate : 2004-01-09
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
After a string of mediocre movies, director Tim Burton regains his footing as he shifts from macabre fairy tales to southern tall tales. IBig Fish/I twines in and out of the oversized stories of Edward Bloom, played as a young man by Ewan McGregor and as a dying father by Albert Finney. Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup) sits by his father's bedside but has little patience with the old man's fables, because he feels these stories have kept him from knowing who his father really is. Burton dives into Bloom's imagination with zest, sending the determined young man into haunted woods, an idealised southern town, a travelling circus and much more. The result is sweet but--thanks to the director's dark and clever sensibility--never saccharine. The film also features Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi. --IBret Fetzer/I

Customer reviews

review by: Ash date: 2009-06-26 rating:

One of Tim Burton's Finest
Tim Burton is famed for making gothic, spooky and dark tales and has a wonderful sense of the macabre and it was a refreshing surprise to watch this incredible movie that is light and fairytale-ish yet so serious in it's subject matter. It entertained me, made me laugh and took me on unexpected turns but also left me feeling touched so much that at times I had to dab at the tears from my eyes. br / br /Will Bloom, a very serious young man, makes a desperate last attempt to get to know his father, whom he has not spoken to for three years. His father, Edward, an avid teller of incredible but very unlikely tales, is quickly dying of cancer and Will must make amends. br / br /Edward, famous for his stories, has always managed to charm and mesmerise everyone he's ever met with his fantastical accounts of unlikely events, but through the years the stories have become something of an embarrassment that his son Will can no longer tolerate. br / br /On his death bed, Edward begins to recount the details of his life again as he has always told them, with the flair and imagination of a true fairytale teller, much to his son's chagrin. The whole thing leaves Will struggling to understand his father more, feeling he may never know the man he really was. br / br /I was surprised in this movie how well this movie (based on a rather wonderful book) worked in terms of mixing fairytale with real life; you find yourself taken in by Edward's charm and stories just as much as everyone around him in the movie. The romance of the whole movie was incredibly moving. br / br /The acting in this movie, was even more incredible than your standard Tim Burton movie - both Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney are incredibly gifted actors, constantly keeping in beat with a flawless Southern drawl, but also in making you believe they really both were the same character. br / br /Helena Bonham Carter's performance was also incredible, she's such a chameleon that she seems to be able to fit so seamlessly into any role in a Tim Burton film no matter what the genre (she has that almost ethereal and beautifully weird appearance that makes her seem like a character out of a fairytale). Jessica Lange had a supporting role, and in her brief scenes she was very touching, and sincere in her performance. br / br /Billy Crudup's performance of Will, Edward's son, was also quite noteable, as he was subtle yet convincingly arrogant enough to leave you slightly disliking his character and more as a supporter of Edward's fantastical tales. br / br /This is an outstanding movie, a great family movie, inspiring, romantic, adventurous and comedic - it has it all.

review by: Laurie date: 2009-04-17 rating:

An adventure as big as life itself!
Big Fish is one of my favourite films. I have watched it over and over. It's just full of magic and fun. The characters are lovable, believable and the plot is fantastic. The book was good but the film brings the story to life, a Tim Burton classic!

review by: date: 2009-04-16 rating:

A beautifully acted and directed film
This is a fantastic film about making the most out of life. It is especially concerned with a father/son relationship and had quite an emoitional impact on me. The fantastical elements are wonderfully underpinned with touches of humour, such as that relating to Danny DeVito's character. It's one of Tim Burton's lesser known films, but deserves much wider recognition. For my part, I'd put it in my top 20 films of all time. It's a film which inspires the viewer, and that is something special indeed.

review by: date: 2009-04-09 rating:

Big Fish Review
Altough a slightly odd and unusual film, it is still a great watch that is interesting from start to finish.I would definetely recommend it.

review by: date: 2009-02-19 rating:

Big Love for Big Fish...
I really adore this film... br / br /I could leave it at that, but i will elaborate a little more. br / br /First of all, i adore most of Burton's film. I want to be a film-maker after finishing my studies, and Burton is so very much a huge inspiration to me. br / br /This film is one of my faveourites of his, mainly because its so emotional and yet funny and surreal and real all at the same time. In many ways, i think i love it so much because in many ways it almost mirrors my own life experiences... i mean, sure, i didnt have a father who shot out of his mothers womb and flew along a hospital corrider, nor did he do any of the things in this film... but i never knew my father growing up, and in many ways this is what the story is about. A child (or a man as he is in some areas of the film) trying to find his father, because although he knows him, he never feels he truly knows him because his father tells elaborate stories all the time, which he is adament are all true. br / br /I don't want to give too much away, so i will stop there... but for me there are two stand out scenes, which for anyone who has seen the film is the scene in which the mother and father share a bath together, and also the end scene... I have to admit, i cried on the two occasions. Then again, i would cry if Tigger got lost in the woods (not really, just for dramatic effect), but the film really touches my heart. The second of those two though i have to say i cried because i was making comparisons to what i imagine myself being like if i had a relationship with my father... wishful thinking though i guess. br / br /Anyway... it has to be seen to appreciate it. It wont be to everyone's taste, because i feel all Tim Burton films appeal to certain people and some people will love them and some hate them... But give it a chance and you might just find yourself falling in love with the world Burton creates and shares with you. br / br /JH

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